Fish Report

BERG

Smallmouth bass fishing continues to be very good in the Lehigh, Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, where many anglers are wet-wading to beat the heat and put a bend in their rods.

River smallies are taking a variety of tube baits, rubber shad imitations and topwater lures. Look for them around current breaks and anywhere you spot pods of shad fry or other baitfish.

Mauch Chunk Lake is e best local destination for largemouth bass fishing. Anglers there are reporting excellent catches, mainly on live minnows. Panfish action is good at Lake Minsi, while trout anglers are enjoying an excellent trico hatch that is bringing fish the surface each morning on local creeks.

Down at the shore, fluke fishing has been consistently good. Striped bass action, however, varies widely depending on the area. Party boats are reporting excellent catches of bluefish up to 14 pounds in the Mud Hole, and bluefin tuna are starting be caught off shore in the Hudson Canyon.

Fly-fishing enthusiasts may be interested in a special weekend appearance by angling legend Gary Borger, who will teach one-day fly-tying classes Saturday and Sunday at the Little Lehigh Fly Shop in Allentown.

Borger is a highly skilled angler who has been fly fishing since 1955. He has written five top-selling fly-fishing books and serves as a field editor for Fly Fisherman magazine. He also has been a pioneer in the world of fly-fishing videos and served as a consultant for Robert Redford's movie "A River Runs Through It."

Borger's class will feature a comprehensive overview of modern fly-tying techniques and materials, along with opportunities to try various angling techniques on the stream. The registration fee is $250, and each day's class is limited to 10 students. To sign up, call Little Lehigh Fly Shop at 610-797-5599.

SHOP TALK

FRESHWATER

Wallenpaupack Sports Shop, Hawley (570-226-4797): Lots of smallmouth bass up to 5 pounds being caught mid-day on crankbaits and with topwater lures at dawn and dusk a few walleyes continue to be caught after midnight on Ripplin' Redfins and Rattling Rogues panfish and calico bass hitting mealworms catfish taking striped bass hitting live herring around 2 a.m. off Shumans Point a 15-pound brown was caught this week during the day off Shumans Point on a live herring in 20 feet of water.

Four Seasons Sporting Goods, Jim Thorpe (570-325-4364): Bass action is red hot at Mauch Chunk Lake live minnows are working great, and many anglers report using two dozen in half a day of fishing plastic curly-tailed grubs also working most fish are in the 13-141/2-inch range, which is normal for Mauch Chunk a few big fish are being caught though, including two 4-pounders caught by the same customer on Monday pickerel and yellow perch at Mauch Chunk also has been good lately live bait also working for them Beltzville Lake action has been decent, but daytime action is spotty due to heavy boat traffic most anglers are focusing their efforts after dark and catching a mixed bag of bass, panfish and walleyes no striper action reported at Beltzville recently.

Peck's Pond Store, Dingmans Ferry, (570-775-7237): Pickerel, bass and panfish are still active at Peck's Pond despite the hit target pickerel with live bait in shady areas bass up to 17 inches being taken on green floating creature baits rigged with weedless hooks bass also hitting Tiny Torpedoes and CP Swing in-line spinners Shohola Lake bass action slow Promised Land offering good bass and pickerel action in the upper lake, but trout aren't biting in the lower lake.

Willie's Bait & Tackle, Cementon (610-261-2767): Willie says Lehigh River lots of small bass being caught in the Lehigh River, along with a few trout from the deepest holes and where creeks enter the river Mauch Chunk bass action is hot, with lots of fish being taken on Yamamoto worms trout still being caught from local creeks, particularly in deeper holes bass and pickerel biting at Leaser Lake.

Backwoods Angler Guide Service, Bethlehem, (610-868-9349): Blaine Mengel says Delaware River around 3.7 feet at Belvidere gauge water is relatively clear lots of 11/2-inch shad fry are in the river, and smallmouth bass are feeding on them Case Salty Shads, minnow imitations and topwater lures (during low light) are working fish are running on the small side right now, which is typical for this time of year numbers are good, however, with trips averaging 60-70 fish over the past week, including an 89-fish day Tuesday Susquehanna River around 3.5 feet at Harrisburg water temperatures there are in the mid-80s, and bass are stressed throw crankbaits, Senko worms and tubes around deep ledges topwater lures and Case Salty Shads will work when water is low.